The Doctor and The TARDIS
by ChibiAyane
Summary: The Doctor is talking to the TARDIS. The Master is thinking to himself.


Author's Note: This takes place after End of Time, as if the Master wasn't sucked into the time lock and went with the Doctor instead and the Master was able to save Wilfred without anyone having to sacrifice themselves to get him out (it was his software meddling to begin with so of course he knew how to turn things off), so the Doctor didn't have to regenerate. The Doctor succeeded in fixing the Master's body so he's not dying or ravenously hungry.

The Doctor And The TARDIS

The Doctor was sitting on the pilot seat in the console room fiddling with a bit of wire from a device he was building. His sonic screwdriver was humming away as he squinted at what he was doing; his useless spectacles perched on the end of his nose. He sighed absently.

The Master was strolling through the TARDIS trying to find a bathroom but the TARDIS was still angry with him for the whole Paradox Machine plot so she kept hiding things on him. He was getting really hungry too. He hadn't eaten for a few days, not since he had free reign over the Naismith Mansion. The TARDIS seemed to be hiding the kitchen as well. He did find the wardrobe and found a black suit that fit him like a glove. He found some black leather gloves as well. He had managed to find a bathroom yesterday and was finally able to shave that scruffy beard he was growing. He couldn't find anything to make a new laser screwdriver or anything that he could use as a weapon.

In the time the Master's been on the TARDIS with the Doctor so far he hasn't seen much of him. It was almost like the Doctor was avoiding him. He'd taken the time to finish the Master's resurrection and show him to his old bedroom from when he stole the TARDIS. Curiously, the Doctor had kept it and didn't delete or change it. The TARDIS did however take away the adjoining bathroom, hence the searching.

After another twenty minutes of searching, he was getting really annoyed. He was starting to fume when he came upon the console room and stopped in the doorway to listen when he heard the Doctor laughing. The Doctor was talking to the TARDIS. Since when has he been able to do that? It shouldn't be possible. He wouldn't be surprised however if the Doctor had constructed a new circuit to enable the TARDIS to communicate with him to stave off the loneliness. The Doctor has always been brilliant at building little gadgets and gizmos. It was obviously a telepathic sort of communication circuit because all the Master could hear of the TARDIS was unintelligible warbling.

"I know! Remember when Jack tried flirting with you?" the Doctor asked the TARDIS.

The TARDIS replied with some high pitched warbling that sounded an awful lot like laughter of her own.

"He really does flirt with anything that has a brain, doesn't he?" the Doctor cackled. "Though, I wouldn't put it past him to flirt with inanimate objects as well. He has tried to flirt with robots before."

More warbling laughter and a lower pitched reply.

"I know, I miss him too," the Doctor added sadly. "Oh, how I miss running about with him and Rose."

The Master felt a flash of fury at that remark but he stayed where he was, just listening to the Doctor. The Doctor didn't seem to have noticed him.

The TARDIS warbled consolingly.

The Doctor sighed and put down what he was working on and put his glasses back in his pocket. He leaned back in the seat and put his feet up on the console. The TARDIS warbled again and the Doctor sighed again.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I should get out and do something."

The TARDIS warbled a questioning reply.

"Oh, I dunno. Surprise me," the Doctor said vaguely before adding "Take me somewhere I can actually do some _good_ for a change."

The TARDIS replied with a happy warble and the engines started their usual screech as the TARDIS materialized.

When the TARDIS landed the Doctor jumped up and started towards the door but then he turned back and addressed the TARDIS again.

"Take care of him for me while I'm gone."

The Master quirked an eyebrow.

The TARDIS warbled an annoyed reply.

"And I know how you are when you're angry with people and I'm asking you now. _Please _do not hide the bathrooms or the food from him," the Doctor exasperated.

The Master smirked, he knew it. The TARDIS was being overly difficult with him. At least now he knew he wasn't alone in dealing with an angry TARDIS. Although, that kind of made him feel a little less important. He crossed his arms in annoyance.

"I know what he did to you was cruel but he's getting better and I'm certain he won't do anything like that again."

The TARDIS warbled indignantly.

"We're supposed to be helping him and you getting revenge by making him run around in circles, and ultimately making him even more stressed isn't helping at all."

More indignant warbling.

"Don't you try to deny it! I know how you get with people you don't like."

The TARDIS gave a bubbling warble of surrender.

"Thank you!" the Doctor said and sighed with relief. He turned away and grabbed up his long coat and put it on and headed toward the door again.

A worried warble and the Doctor turned around.

"I'll try not to," the Doctor said with an indulgent smile.

A warble.

"I promise!" the Doctor added, smiling more broadly. "I'll try not to get into any fist fights. Honestly, you'd think I always come back within an inch of death, the way you're worrying."

The Master started and his eyes widened after hearing that. He knew the Doctor always got into trouble but the confirmation that he did get hurt a lot in his travels made the Master uneasy. He was suddenly angry with all the people who have hurt him. No one but he was allowed to hurt the Doctor.

Another indignant warble and then another worried warble.

"I'll be fine! You just look after the Master, yeah?" the Doctor asked.

A warble of agreement.

"Good. Thank you," the Doctor grinned. "I'll be back soon."

And he disappeared out the door, locking it behind him.

The Master walked into the console room and started walking around the console. He was irritated to find the Doctor had put the controls on isomorphic so he couldn't steal the TARDIS again. It didn't really matter because as soon as he touched one of the controls, the TARDIS zapped him. The Master staggered a little after the near electrocution. He sat down on the pilot seat in a huff.

He was annoyed and worried and neither of those things were normal behavior for him. "He's getting better," the Doctor had said. The Master scoffed and crossed his arms. He had sat there for a few minutes thinking when he finally remembered that he still needed to go to the bathroom and just like the Doctor had asked, the first door the Master tried turned out to be a bathroom.

END.


End file.
